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Bad form/style or accepted technique?

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I started climbing this last spring. From TR, I started trad. leading (up to 5.8). I have always avoided pulling on my gear for no other reason than I want to climb the rock without aiding. I have been sport climbing (some 5.10) for the last month and have noticed many climbers holding/hanging on their quickdraw (already clipped to a hanger) when they are clipping in the rope with their other hand. In other words, these climbers are not holding onto the rock, they are hanging from their gear. Is this common practice? I have been doing all of my clips "one handed" without the assistance of hanging onto the clipped draw. I could climb a lot harder routes if I hung onto a clipped sling while clipping the rope with my other hand, but style and good form must prevail. What is considered good form in sport climbing in terms of clipping the rope? To hang or not to hang, that is the .....

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Technically - if you aren't redpointing but just working the route, then who cares. But if you are going for the redpoint/pinkpoint, to grab the draws or final chains invalidates the ascent. So it's good practice not to.

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But if you are going for the redpoint/pinkpoint, to grab the draws or final chains invalidates the ascent. So it's good practice not to.

Funny thing, the owner of the Portland Rock Gym once told DFA, regarding this very issue, that he often grabbed the anchors to clip, and didn't seem to see any issue with it. "You're already done with the route, right?" Or something to that effect.

Subtract one letter grade from your redpoint if you grabbed the chains to clip.

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I started climbing this last spring. From TR, I started trad. leading (up to 5.8). I have always avoided pulling on my gear for no other reason than I want to climb the rock without aiding. I have been sport climbing (some 5.10) for the last month and have noticed many climbers holding/hanging on their quickdraw (already clipped to a hanger) when they are clipping in the rope with their other hand. In other words, these climbers are not holding onto the rock, they are hanging from their gear. Is this common practice? I have been doing all of my clips "one handed" without the assistance of hanging onto the clipped draw. I could climb a lot harder routes if I hung onto a clipped sling while clipping the rope with my other hand, but style and good form must prevail. What is considered good form in sport climbing in terms of clipping the rope? To hang or not to hang, that is the .....

Isn't hanging and using the gear to pull yourself up technically cheating? I do it sometimes when I'm scared and because I'm a crappy climber but I've heard its a bad idea and I'm trying to stop....its sort of like a crutch. Sort of like going to your knees first when surfing....bad habit and hard ot break.

Innit?

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But add one letter grade for every bolt you skip (but only if the climb is within 3 letter grades of your best Redpoint, if not only add .2); add .8 letter grades for every Gaston, Figure 4, or Drop Knee; two letter grades for a sit start, but subtract 1.56 letter grades for wearing pink lycra tights.

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But add one letter grade for every bolt you skip (but only if the climb is within 3 letter grades of your best Redpoint, if not only add .2); add .8 letter grades for every Gaston, Figure 4, or Drop Knee; two letter grades for a sit start, but subtract 1.56 letter grades for wearing pink lycra tights.

Ah, a subscriber to the hardcore, straight-outta-mothafuckin'-Compton school of redpointing ethics. Sick!

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Grabbing the chains to clip is aid, except on routes where the chains are specifically intended to be clipped - and these routes are bogus. You should clip the chains free before you take in order to redpoint successfully. Anything else is weak

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there is a route (hard 12) at the New that is so hard that you can't even get to the anchors (solves the whole problem of clipping while holding onto the chains). the anchors are open, so you pull up a bunch of slack, dyno, and fling the loop over the anchors, definitely earns the respect of your peers .

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on the free Grand Wall you send the underfling then make a 13a crux move (so I'm told) to a no hands rest and clip the anchor from that. thus avoiding the problem. Since the regfular Grand has aid it is inappropriate to speak of redpointing it. We are talking sport ethics in this thread anyways. Please stay on subject.